Vitamin E is now considered a generic name describing bioactivities of both tocopherols and tocotrienols derivatives. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin necessary in the diet of many species for normal reproduction, normal development of muscles, resistance of erythrocytes to hemolysis and various biochemical functions. The most broadly acknowledged function of Vitamin E, whereby it is an antioxidant. The Vitamin E content in crude palm oil ranges between 600-1000 parts per million (ppm) and is a mixture of tocopherols (18-22%) and tocotrienols (78-82%).
Vitamin E is the general name for a class of eight compounds: four isomers of tocopherol (alpha-tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol) and four isomers of tocotrienol (alpha-tocotrienol, beta-tocotrienol, gamma-tocotrienol, delta-tocotrienol). Structurally, tocopherols and tocotrienols share some resemblance consisting of common chromanol head and side chain at the C-2 position. Tocopherols and tocotrienols are sometimes collectively called tocols.
However, tocopherols and tocotrienols are distinguished by their side chains. Tocopherol has a saturated phytyl side chain; however tocotrienol possesses an unsaturated isoprenoid side chain. Tocopherols are found in vegetable oils such as those from canola, cotton seed, olive, peanut, sunflower, soybean and sunflower; especially seed oils. The major source of tocotrienols is plants oils and the richest sources are palm oil, rice bran oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil.
Tocotrienols are also found cereal grains as oats, barley and rye. With the emergence of palm oil as the second largest edible oil in the world markets, technological advances have been made enabling the extraction of Tocotrienols from palm oil that is currently available commercially. Tocorienols in palm oil are many times potent as antioxidants than Tocopherols. Tocotrienols are also weekly absorbed by the skin and thus are well suited for use as Vitamin E cream.
Besides their function as antioxidant, Tocotrienol has been shown to have unique functional properties in contrast to Tocopherol. Tocotrienols have been shown to reduce plasma cholesterol levels, as well as other lipid and non-lipid related risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (Hood, 1996). It was also reported that tocotrienols possess anti-hypercholesterolemmic effects (Qureshi et al., 1991). The compound was also shown to display better anti-tumor activity than tocopherol (Carroll et al., 1996).Contrary to popular believe, Tocotrienol was observed in vitro to possess a remarkably higher antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation than tocopherol (Serbinova et al., 1991) in biological systems. Tocotrienols that are largely found in palm oil are now commercially extracted as Enriched tocotrienols (ET).
Both Tocopherols and Tocotrienols are well recognized for their antioxidant effects and used in many topical preparations especially in cosmetics. The percentage of Tocopherols or Tocotrienols formulated into these topical preparations is very low and often below 0.1%.
Both Tocotrienols and Tocopherol are almost similar in structure and Tocopherols (Vitamin E) are present in topical preparations for many years. Therefore, the use of Tocotrienols at low concentration may not pose any risk of adverse cutaneous reactions.
Tetanus toxoid is a potent immunogen that induces long-lasting immunity in humans (Simonsen et al., 1986). Tetanus vaccination has had a dramatic impact on the incidence of tetanus infection in both adults and neonates worldwide. Vaccine-associated immunity to tetanus is associated with the production of neutralizing IgG antibodies to tetanus toxoid (Simonsen et al., 1986). Levels of these antibodies can be quantitated by using international standards and thus provide a useful model to investigate the protective efficacy of vaccine following tocotrienol supplementation.
Vitamin E is a major lipid-soluble anti-oxidant, which scavenges free radicals in biological membrane and protects the cellular structure against oxidative damage. Several studies have shown that vitamin E, both tocopherol and tocotrienol supplementation induces a favourable effect on animal and human immune system and has been implicated in the reduced risk for several immune and inflammatory diseases. The inventor's in the present invention had examined the immunomodulatory effects of orally administered tocotrienols and tocopherols in the mouse model upon an immunogenic challenge, and then investigated the effect of tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) supplementation on immune modulation in normal healthy volunteers whose immune system was challenged with a booster tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine.
The present has overcome the problem in the art by developing a supplementation on immune response to tetanus by using Vitamin E. The objective of the present invention discloses the effect of Vitamin E supplementation on immune modulation in a mammal, whereby the mammals are vaccinated with tetanus toxoid.
In addition, the present invention also relates on the effect of different types of Vitamin E such as tocotrienol rich fraction, delta tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol supplementation on immune response to tetanus toxoid vaccination.